1. Ella

Chapter 1

Ella

When the pendant around Ella’s neck vibrated, she shut her eyes to mentally prepare herself to face whatever creature student was having a panic attack today. Yesterday, she’d narrowly avoided the claws of a Varmin when the student in crisis shifted into their gryphon form and nearly scratched out her eyes. The escape from injury then was one of sheer luck, not due to any assistance she got from her coworkers. Two staff members had stood idly in the corner and watched the ordeal transpire, offering her no support during or after the fact. The day before last, she almost lost her head when a Cerebri student sent a pair of scissors soaring through the air with nothing but their mind in the middle of a rage spiral, having lost control of their faculties due to a fellow student accidentally bumping into them. It finally stopped feeling like a shock every time she had a Primordial’s fang or power held up to her throat and started becoming something she expected, something she could plan for. Ella breathed deeply to calm her heart rate, then dragged herself away from her desk and headed to the elevator.

She had now spent a full month as Delmarth Academy’s sole school counselor and the only human in the entire realm of Cavale. The fact that Ella could say she was beginning to adjust to this environment of teetering on the brink of death every time she interacted with a student was both emboldening and depressing.

She passed Fiona Davis in the hall and raised a hand to wave at the Meteoro instructor. Fiona squinted her eyes at Ella, then lifted her hand and spread out her fingers, sending a tumultuous gale of wind into Ella’s stomach that thrust her against the wall. The flurry of wind made it difficult for Ella’s lungs to expand and contract properly, a gasp tumbling off her tongue as her knees smashed into the ground.

“Dare to look at me again, and I’ll force-feed the wind down your throat, earthborn,” Fiona hissed, stealing the elevator Ella was about to call for herself. Ella watched the doors close, finally regaining the ability to engulf a breath that didn’t burn her throat or chest once the wind-bender was gone. She pulled her body forward, using the wall to reassemble herself in a standing position. She knew the drill. Get back on your feet quickly and don’t let anyone see you sweat.

This wasn’t the first time in the last month she’d been thrown into a wall by a teacher or student.

Ella pressed the call button for the elevator and rubbed the side of her neck where it throbbed, impacted by her collision with the wall. The pendant resting between her collarbones began aggressively shaking against her clavicle. Whoever was calling her down was growing impatient for her to appear.

“I’m going as fast as I possibly can,” she muttered to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose to delay a migraine from sundering her forehead. She noticed that the stone pendant was now tinted purple, which meant a Varmin student was in need. If it was a Cerebri student, it would be silver. For Meteoro, the stone would turn green, and for Herculea, red. She wished the enchanted stone could alert her as to which teacher was calling her down, but she knew if she asked Headmistress Dyer for any alterations in the amulet, she’d be met with no sympathy and in the end, no result.

In the short time she’d spent in Cavale, it was clear that the Primordials as a species valued physical strength over feeling, achievement over preserving one’s mental well-being. Emotional needs weren’t just secondary to all else—they were considered nuisances that weren’t allowed to have life breathed into them and needed to be extinguished in order to make way for more power. This is exactly why Headmistress Dyer decided to seek out a human to hire as Delmarth’s school counselor, a position that never existed before Ella. Ella hadn’t been told exactly what happened last year, but the little tidbit of information she had been given was that a Meteoro student, a fire-bender, burned themselves intentionally and passed away, which caused an understandable surge of panic for the parents and called into question the school’s ability to care for their students. Delmarth would have swept the incident under the rug and found a way to placate the parents’ concerns if the incident hadn’t alerted the Cavalian Gods themselves. The Gods sent an envoy on their behalf to Delmarth to force the school administration to actually deal with the matter.

Headmistress Dyer determined that the answer to this dilemma was to create a position within the school dedicated to the protection of student well-being, in an academic, physical, and social-emotional sense. Since the way of the Primordials goes against that concept, she decided to cross dimensions into the Earthly Plane and hire a human school counselor to take on the burden: Noella Rose.

Ella had no idea, when she was first hired to work with Delmarth’s entire student body, from Kindergarten through twelfth grade, that she would be forced to move to a completely different dimension and spend every day fighting for her life amongst the students and faculty. She signed the contract under false pretenses, at the time believing she was agreeing to work for a normal boarding school in upstate New York. She’d even toured what she thought was the campus with Headmistress Dyer prior to accepting the offer.

Unbeknownst to her then, the campus she visited and faculty members she met that day weren’t real. They were just a brilliantly crafted illusion, created by one of their Cerebri instructors, to get her to sign the contract, which binded her— literally binded her, through magic she didn’t understand—to a year in Cavale.

A year.

Really, ten months. She just had to make it to June. This had become her mantra, the reminder that this hell she’d stumbled into wasn’t permanent. She only needed to endure getting her face nearly melted off or being thrown into walls for nine more months, and then, she’d be back home in her small apartment in New York and could pretend her time in Cavale was but a ghastly nightmare.

Finally, the elevator doors opened once more. She hurried inside and stabbed her finger into the lobby button, leaning her shoulder against the wall. When the elevator closed, she found a wilting, watery reflection of herself displayed on the metal doors. Her long, honey-hued waves spilled down her chest in a chaotic rivulet of blonde tresses, crimped from the braid they’d spent the night woven into. The maroon shade of her turtleneck complimented the golden hue of her thick mane and brought a semblance of warmth to her cheeks, to a face that otherwise appeared sunken and bruised from both physical and emotional exhaustion. The grey of her irises seemed to seep out past her eyes and saturate the entirety of her flesh, causing all her features to droop. She used her fingers to smooth the skin under her eyes, pulling the sagging flesh up so she could fix her expression, so she could paint a mirage of composure over her facial features to blend in with the Primordials, a mask to protect against further attack. A mask that hadn’t worked once in the last four weeks, but she was determined to maintain it, determined to make that mask melt into her face and become real.

When the elevator finally landed at the lobby, Ella froze between the now-open doors.

Kellen Kilic, head of the Varmin department, stood perched against the glass wall across the way, arms twisted over his chest. Something about Kellen’s face made Ella’s intestines squeeze together, revolting against one another to create a sensation internally that resembled chafing. The Varmin instructor was so disgustingly beautiful, in a rugged, harsh way that felt like an invasion on the eyes. He must have come from outside; beads of rainwater dripped down his neck from his short, curly black hair and gleaned on his sheared beard, just a ghost of scruff limning the edges of his chiseled jawline. The water smeared darker spots on his white button-down shirt, which clung to his burly physique, hugging every tantalizingly defined muscle like the cloth was thanking his figure for allowing it the honor of being close to him. His burnished, ebony brown flesh blended into scales up the column of his neck on either side, a hint of the dragon that lived within him.

Ella forced her gaze up from his chest to his eyes, to the emerald green irises that were frowning at her.

“ You called me?” she spluttered, not attempting to conceal her surprise. While none of her Primordial coworkers were adjusting well to the fact that Headmistress Dyer hired a human from the Earthly Plane, Kellen Kilic won the prize as the most putrid in an inconceivably rotten bunch. The worst part of Ella’s days consisted of some interaction with Kellen, whether that be from having insults flung at her back in passing, or worse, the kind that ended with her crashing into a wall. “Did you actually need me for something, or did you just call me down here to fuck with me?”

Kellen offered no response. The dragon-shifter just kept glaring at her as though he was willing his gaze to turn incendiary, so he could heave that fire across her body and corrode her existence with just a flick of his eyes.

“If you don’t tell me in the next five seconds why you called me down here, I’m going back upstairs,” she snarled, her patience thinning.

“Follow me,” was all he eventually said, shoving through the exit doors. Ella huffed, then traipsed after him.

Delmarth Academy’s campus was split into six sections: the Cerebri sector, the Meteoro sector, the Herculea sector, the Varmin sector, the academic sector, and the faculty housing. They’d placed Ella’s office in one of the academic sector buildings, which bordered the Varmin quarter. It was no longer raining, but Ella could feel the threat of a storm still echo through the ether. The dry air fell back as if sucked up in a vacuum, leaving the atmosphere warm and laced in a weak calm.

She swallowed a breath that smelled like petrichor and tasted sweet, then asked Kellen, “Who’s the student?”

“Connor Paight,” he answered, his response clipped.

“What happened? Is he okay—”

“You hear that? That grating noise?” Ella whipped her head around, searching for whatever sound he was referring to.

“No? What noise?”

“The sound of your voice. It’s insufferable.” He pressed his index finger to his lips, shushing her.

Ella scowled. “You’re not nearly as clever as you think you are, Kilic.”

“Lucky for me, your opinion means nothing, earthborn.”

She wished the insult could just roll off her back. With the students and most of the faculty, she didn’t take anything they said too personally, but with Kellen, she found his treatment of her harder to shake off.

The Varmin sector came into view. The carefully trimmed grass delineating the grounds of the academic sector blended out into an unpaved road, the asphalt torn apart by claw marks and footprints of various sizes and shapes, belonging to diverse creatures Varmin species. She needed to stop referring to them in her head as creatures—that phrasing was considered offensive in Cavale, and if anyone heard her call a Varmin a creature rather than a shifter, they’d skin her alive and happily endure a life-sentence in the Cavalian Gods’ version of hell, Terminus. Ella followed Kellen past the steel buildings, comprised of imperishable metal to ensure that no species of Varmin could obliterate the configuration from the outside or inside. They headed towards the Canterna Thicket, a deciduous forest decorated with outgrown roots, wildflowers, and fallen leaves that crunched beneath Ella’s loafers.

Finally, Kellen came to a halt.

“You want to know why I called for you?” he asked, then pointed up at the sky. “See for yourself.”

Ella’s eyes followed the path of his finger.

A mammoth dragon cleaved through the clouds, tossing its head back and bellowing a cry that sounded strangled and pained. It continued writhing in agony, each thrash of its ginormous body lacerating a cloud in the process, sending the mist scattering into the trees. The dragon’s neck swung to the side, its back arching before plumes of fire came seething out of its mouth. Flames tangled with the clouds to create a maelstrom of sparks and vapor, amalgamating with that same aggrieved scream.

“Is that Connor?!” Ella’s heart dropped into her stomach. Her head spun back to Kellen. “Is he hurt? What’s happening to him?”

Strangely, Kellen smirked at her.

“He’s having a panic attack,” Kellen replied, the cadence of his voice reminiscent of saccharine wine, the kind you get drunk off of too easily because its taste convinces you it isn’t alcoholic.

Ella’s jaw fell open. “Are you shitting me?” He shook his head.

She peeked back over at Connor, observing with horror as the dragon vomited fire over the trees.

“Go comfort him,” Kellen ordered, waving his hand in Connor’s direction.

“You’re joking.” He cocked his head.

“It’s your job, Ms. Rose.”

“If I go over there, he will eat me alive!”

“One can only hope.” Ella drew her head back and scoffed.

“You’re disgusting,” she roared. “Have fun dealing with this yourself. I’m heading back to my office.” Kellen seized her forearm before she completed any steps towards the academic sector.

“Stop,” he insisted, giving her wrist a squeeze that she felt reverberate down to her toes, which curled up in her shoes to end the tingle. “Look, in spite of my poorly timed joke, I did call you for your help. If I go over there, I’m just going to make it worse, and I really would like to help him.”

Ella raised her eyes to examine his face, searching for any indications that the dragon-shifter couldn’t be trusted. She considered herself to be a good judge of character, hence how she ended up in this role and why she remained cautious around every new person she met in Cavale. When she read in Kellen’s eyes his sincere desire to support his student, visible in the way the emerald hue softened in a moment of unbridled vulnerability, the kind she rarely saw in Cavale, she knew she could trust him enough to stay.

“What happens if I go over there and he mistakes me for food?”

The corner of Kellen’s mouth tugged upward. “Then I’ll tell everyone you died a gallant death, earthborn.”

“I fucking hate you,” she hissed.

“Trust me, sweetheart, the feeling is absolutely mutual. And make no mistake, if I wasn’t desperate and didn’t think there was a minute chance you could help him, I never would’ve called you.”

“Oh, I believe it.” Ella shook his hand off her, then began heading over to Connor. Kellen grabbed her arm again, stopping her from stalking off. “What now?!” she yelled, and damn, it felt good to yell.

“How do you plan to get up there to talk to him, smartass?” She opened her mouth, then closed it.

“Not sure. I’m open to suggestions.”

A gargantuan shadow the size and bulk of Connor bathed them in darkness as Connor began his descent towards the forest grounds, the shadow twitching along with his every spasm. Ella stumbled backward and toppled right into Kellen, who’d taken the time to fold his arms across his chest and straighten his posture to the highest height, a signal that he would be of no help to her.

“If you caused this, you should leave,” she warned him.

“If I caused this?” he repeated through a snarl.

“If you’re responsible for upsetting Connor, then seeing your face right now is only going to make him more agitated. You may know this world better than I do, but panic attacks are my realm of expertise. I know what I’m doing. Back. Up.” She shoved him away by placing her hand on his chest.

He was so stunned by her daring to touch him that he actually staggered back.

Connor alit sloppily on the ground, hurtling into a tree and landing on his left leg, worrying Ella that he might’ve hurt himself in his dismount. He threw himself back with a deafening roar, the vigor of his movement slashing through the tree behind him, prompting an assemblage of shredded, charred yellow leaves to volley down around them from the interlocking branches.

“Connor?” Ella called out to him as she approached. “Connor, it’s Ms. Rose. The school counselor.”

Anguished, ruby eyes swung to her within Connor’s thorny, narrow skull. She halted a moment in case the sight of her distressed him further, following his cues through the eye contact they now shared. She took a tentative step forward, testing him, watching for any indication that she shouldn’t approach.

When she found none, she splayed her fingers out on his wing, angular in shape with bone structures clearly visible through the thin layer of skin, each ending in curved, yet blunt tips. In case those were poisonous, she’d steer clear, but she otherwise felt no fear being so close to him. Her instinct was to caress him, as though he were her dog, Freya, first with her palm, then with the backs of her fingers, flipping her hand back and forth so he could experience different textures on his wing.

“Connor, I want you to breathe for me, okay? Inhale for four seconds, then exhale for six. Can you do that for me?”

Connor’s red eyes fluttered shut, his features creasing and contorting in a way that suggested he was experiencing pain somewhere in his body before she heard the dragon suck in a large gulp of air. She counted the seconds out loud for him. At the number four, Connor choked out a raucous exhale that broadcasted like a discordant clap of thunder, a flurry of sparks slipping off his tongue along with the gasp. Thankfully, the sparks weren’t nearly as potent as the fire he retched in the sky, so they didn’t singe anything in the forest. Connor continued his paced breathing, all while Ella kept stroking his wing, counting the seconds aloud for him. Finally, Ella felt the wing under her hand begin to shrink, Connor’s dragon form melting back beneath his Varmin flesh.

When the massive dragon dispersed and Connor had successfully shifted from his Varmin form back into his human form, she found a thirteen-year-old boy curled up in a ball in the soil.

“Hey there, buddy,” she cooed, dropping to her knees in the soil to join him. She paid no attention to the fact he was naked, focusing on his face. “You want to tell me what happened that upset you so much?”

“I…I…I have a test next…and I…and I…I’m…I don’t want to do it,” he stammered, his whole body convulsing. “Please, don’t make me do it. Don’t make me, Ms. Rose.”

“You’re feeling nervous about your test?” He nodded. “What class is the test in?”

“History of the Gods with Mr. Kilic. He’s so mean.” Can’t argue with that, she thought to herself.

“What have you done in the past to prepare for a test?” His tiny brows pulled together in thought.

“I…I study.”

“Did you study for this test?”

“I did.” His voice sounded so small compared to the earsplitting roar he released in dragon form. “I’m just…I’m scared.”

“I hear you, buddy. Tests are scary, but unfortunately, sometimes we have to do scary things.”

“What…what if I fail? I can’t fail, Ms. Rose. I can’t fail.” Her heart melted in her chest at his eyes watering.

“Have you ever failed a test before?”

“No. But what if I fail this one?”

“What will you do if that happens?” The blue of his irises transformed into red, the pupil narrowing into the slit of a dragon’s eye. Before he fully shifted back into a dragon, she said, “Connor, breathe with me. Inhale for four, exhale for six. Okay?” Connor gulped down a mouthful of oxygen, trapping it in his chest for four seconds, then exhaled for six. When she was once more gazing into his human-appearing eyes, she asked, “Do you get nervous before all your tests, or is it just this one in particular?”

“All tests,” he answered, twisting his fingers in the soil to avoid looking at her.

“You’ve managed to take all those other tests despite feeling nervous. What did you do then to calm yourself down?”

“I…I don’t know.” Connor hugged his knees to his chest, dropping his chin between his legs.

“What would help you right now?”

“Not having to take the test?” A twinkle of humor played in his eyes. Ella smiled at him.

“Sorry, bud, but I can’t promise that. What’s something I can do that would help you?” He shrugged his little shoulders.

“Do…do you have anything that I could…squeeze?”

“Absolutely!” Ella exclaimed. Nothing thrilled her more than a tangible solution. “Like a stress ball?”

“I don’t know what that is.” Connor frowned.

“That’s okay. I have one in my office. Why don’t you head to class…maybe grab some clothes from your locker first…and I’ll bring the stress ball to you so you have it when you take your test. Would that help?”

Connor nodded. “Will I be allowed to hold it during the test?”

“Of course you can. I’ll tell Mr. Kilic so he doesn’t take it away from you.”

“You promise you’ll bring it to me?”

“I promise.” Connor’s shoulders unwound, his body relaxing. “Would it help if you and I started meeting once a week to talk about your anxiety? They can be short check-ins. I just want you to know that you have support here.”

“Yeah…I’d like that.” Tears pricked her eyes. This was the first student who agreed to begin counseling with her and was receptive to her help, the first time she felt like she’d actually been able to do her job the way she was trained to. Connor flashed a tiny smile. “Thanks, Ms. Rose.”

“Of course. Go on to class. I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.” Ella offered Connor her hand, yanking him to his feet.

Connor rushed right past Kellen on his way out of the forest, keeping his eyes down on his bare feet.

When Connor cleared the trees, Kellen marched over to Ella. “What did you say to him?” he snapped.

“What, no thank you?” He continued glaring at her. “I’m going to get Connor a stress ball. He wants to hold it during his test.”

“He can’t,” Kellen declined.

“Why the hell not?”

“If I let him have something to hold during the test, then everyone will want to hold something.”

“You can’t just let him have it under the table to hold? Is it really that big of a deal?”

“Do you want to see a classroom of thirteen-year-old Primordials be told they can’t do something that someone else is doing? Cause if that happens, I’m calling you. ” Ella rolled her eyes.

“Fine. If that happens, then call me, but unless you want Connor to shift back into a dragon and spit fire all over your classroom, I’m getting him a stress ball, and you’re going to let him hold it during his test.”

Kellen trailed his eyes across her face like her features were an equation that didn’t make sense.

“Tell me everything Connor said to you,” he ordered.

“I can’t tell you that,” she refused. “Our sessions are confidential.”

“That wasn’t a session. I called you down here to speak to him.”

“Connor asked for us to begin counseling together. I will not disclose what we spoke about.” Kellen took three large steps towards her, only stopping when his shadow gobbled her whole.

“Your little human rules don’t apply here, Ms. Rose. Tell me what he said.”

“ NO. I won’t.” Ella tipped her chin up. “You’ll have to pry it from my brain with your little powers. Oh, wait! You can’t! Because killing a human is against the law, unless you want to spend an eternity in Terminus. Yeah, that’s right. I read the laws.” Steam came out of Kellen’s nose.

“I fucking hate you,” he growled.

“Trust me, sweetheart,” she mocked in a low voice to impersonate him. “The feeling is absolutely mutual.”

Ella spun around and sauntered back towards the academic sector, her blonde hair slapping his chest when she turned. She knew she’d pay for that later, but right now, she felt pretty fucking good about herself.